A superb and rare photo the desmodromic Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR in 1955.
Both young German Hans Herrmann (who had a remarkable previous efforts
with Porsche) as well as British Stirling
Moss relied on the support of navigators while Juan Manuel Fangio (car
#658) preferred to drive alone as usual as he considered road races dangerous
since his co-pilot was killed in South America. Karl Kling also drove alone, in
the fourth Mercedes, #701. Similar to his teammates, Moss and his navigator,
motor race journalist Denis Jenkinson, ran a total of six reconnaissance laps
beforehand, enabling "Jenks" to make course notes (pace notes) on a
scroll of paper 15 feet
(460 cm)
long that he read from and gave directions to Moss during the race by a coded
system of hand signals. Although this undoubtedly helped them, Moss's innate
ability was clearly the predominant factor. Indeed, it should be noted that
Moss was competing against drivers with a large amount of local knowledge of
the route, so the reconnaissance laps were considered an equaliser, rather than
an advantage. Car #704 with Hans Herrmann and Hermann Eger was said to be
fastest in the early stages, though. Herrmann already had a remarkable race in
1954, when the gate on a railroad crossing were lowered in the last moment
before the fast train to Rome
passed. Driving a very low Porsche 550 Spyder, Herrmann decided it was too late
for a brake attempt anyway, knocked on the back of the helmet of his navigator
Herbert Linge to make him duck, and they barely passed below the gates and
before the train, to the surprise of the spectators. Herrmann was less lucky in
1955 as he had to abandon the race after a brake failure. Kling crashed also.
After 10 h 07' 48",
Moss/Jenkinson arrived in Brescia in their Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR with the now
famous #722 , setting the event record at an average of 159.65 km/h
(99.20 mph) which was fastest ever on this 1,597 km (992 mi) variant of the
course, not to be beaten in the remaining two years. Fangio arrived a few
minutes later in the #658 car, but having started 24 min earlier, it actually
took him about 30 minutes longer.
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR
was a sports racing car that debuted in 1955.
Despite a misleading name, the Mercedes-Benz 300SLR was based neither on the
famous 1954 300SL road car, nor the earlier 1952 race car, although it bears a
strong resemblance to both (including, in the coupe version, the distinctive
'gullwing doors'). Instead, it was based on the 1954-1955 Formula 1
Mercedes-Benz W196 race car; it was Mercedes' marketing department, who found
'W196S' an uninspiring name, who ordered the name '300SLR'. It is generally
accepted that this name references the car's lightweight construction as
'SuperLight Race'.
The car was of a
front-mid-engined design (where the engine block is squarely behind the front
axles), to give more neutral front/rear weight distribution. It used a
spaceframe chassis and magnesium-alloy (Elektron) bodywork, which has a
specific gravity of just 1.8 (for reference, the S.G. of iron is 7.8), both of
which contributed to a dry weight of just 880kg. The preceding Formula 1 car's
8 cylinders in-line engine was used, increased in capacity from 2,496.87 cc
(76.0 x 68.8 mm)
to 2,981.70 cc (78.0 x 78.0
mm). This boosted output from 290 bhp at 8,500 rpm to
about 310 horsepower at 7,400 rpm, depending on the intake manifold; maximum
torque of 234 lb.-ft.
came at 5,950 rpm (193.9 psi bmep), providing strong pulling power. The engine
was longitudinally mounted, and was canted over at a 33-degree angle to lower
its profile for aerodynamic reasons, resulting in the distinctive bonnet bulge
on the passenger side of the car. The engine was also unusual in that it used
desmodromic valve actuation instead of springs. Fuel injection was still a
novelty then. The engine protruded some way back into cockpit, forcing the
monoposto version drivers to straddle the driveshaft and clutch bellhousing
with his feet to reach the pedals. To reduce crank flexing, power takeoff from
the engine was at the center of the engine, via a gear, rather than at the end
of the crankshaft. This was not the only oddity of the drivetrain - the car was
fitted with vast inboard drum brakes which dwarfed the car's 16"-wheels;
the unusual shaft-linked brakes were originally to have been part of a
planned[citation needed] four-wheel-drive system which never came to fruition.
The rear independent suspension used a low roll centre swing axle system, where
a beam attached to each hub was mounted on the opposite side of the chassis.
Thus, the beams were aligned slightly differently and crossed over in the
centre line. Cornering forces did not jack the car up, as occurs with short
swing axles. The car's fuel itself was also odd - a high-octane fuel mixture of
65 percent low-lead gasoline and 35 percent benzene; in some races, alcohol was
also used to further increase performance. As a rule, the car left the starting
line with 44 gallons
of fuel and more than nine gallons of oil on board, although Moss and Jenkinson
began their assault on the 1955 Mille Miglia with as much as 70 gallons of fuel in
the tank. At Le Mans in 1955, the 300 SLRs were also equipped with "air
brakes" similar in principle to those used on aircraft - this was a large
hood that hinged up behind the occupants in order to slow down the cars at the
end of the fast straights. The idea for this "wind brake" came from
director of motorsports Alfred Neubauer, who was looking to develop a system to
reduce the wear on the huge drum brakes and tires during long-distance races
such as Le Mans and Reims. Neubauer foresaw wind resistance slow the car
especially at Le Mans, as the French track's layout forced drivers to use the
brakes hard and often to bring the car down from its maximum speed - around
180mph - to as little as 25mph. In tests the 7.5ft² light-alloy spoiler slowed
the car dramatically and improved cornering. In addition, this innovation was
required as the car's traditional drum brakes were inferior to the new disc
brakes of main rival Jaguar. The SLR
also had two seats, as required for sports racing cars of the day. In some
racing events a co-driver, mechanic or navigator was given a ride. In the 300SLR's short career, this was only the Mille Miglia,
as the 1955 Carrera Panamericana was cancelled due to the Le Mans accident. On
short circuits (this includes the Targa Florio) passengers were not helpful, thus
the passenger seat was covered and the passenger windshield removed to improve
aerodynamics. Nine W196S chassis were built. Stirling Moss won the 1955 Mille
Miglia in a 300 SLR with an
average speed of 157.65
km/h over 1,600 km (97.96 mph in 994 miles). He was
assisted by his co-driver Denis Jenkinson, a British motor-racing journalist,
who informed him with previously taken notes, ancestors to the pacenotes used
in modern rallying. The 300 SLRs later scored additional victories in Germany,
Sweden, Ireland and at the Targa Florio in Sicily, and won the world
championship for sports cars in the constructors' ranking. However, these
impressive victories were overshadowed when the 300 SLRs, leading the 1955 24
Hours of Le Mans, were withdrawn after the horrific accident involving the car
driven by Pierre Levegh. 82 spectators, and one competitor - Levegh - lost
their lives in what remains the highest-fatality accident in the history of
motorsport. After winning all world championships it competed in, Mercedes
withdrew from motorsport at the end of the 1955 season as a result of the 1955
Le Mans disaster.
This is a very nice and very rare non
period photo that reflects a wonderful era of Mercedes ‘s automotive
history in a wonderful way. This is your
rare chance to own this photo, therefore it is printed in a nice large format
of ca. 8" x 10" (ca. 20 x 26 cm). It makes it perfectly suitable for framing.
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